The present invention is directed to the field of automated dispensing systems, more particularly to the transport of objects such as pharmacy bottles/vials through an automated dispensing system. The present invention relates to an automated method and system for distributing vials to downstream locations in an automated pharmacy. More specifically, the present invention is a conveyor table having two U-shaped conveyors for moving vials in a loop until they hit an open outbound lane. A barrier portion on the table guides vials from the conveyor table to an outbound lane for transport to a downstream location, such as a packing station. The outbound lane is operationally connected to a lane of stations, and the system is adapted to guide the vials to the first station that is open.
Many health benefit plan providers and retail pharmacies offer their clients the option of obtaining prescription drugs by mail. Mail order pharmacies ship prescription drugs to a client's home so the client is not required to visit a pharmacy to fill a prescription in person. For clients with chronic conditions or other health conditions that require maintenance drugs, a mail order prescription program is an attractive benefit because it is more convenient for the clients and typically less expensive than obtaining prescription drugs at a neighborhood pharmacy. Clients have the option of purchasing many widely-prescribed maintenance drugs, for example, in a 60-day or even a 90-day supply at a lower cost than a 30-day supply.
Most mail order pharmacies use automated systems and dispensing lines to process and ship a high volume of prescriptions on a daily basis. Each prescription medication is typically dispensed into a vial or other container labeled with data from an electronic order that identifies the patient, drug (e.g., by NDC), dosage, and quantity. Each medication is dispensed in its own vial and in many instances, multiple vials are combined into a single package and shipped to a single address for a client with one or more chronic conditions requiring multiple medications. The automated dispensing system, therefore, must be intelligent and capable of determining which vials should be combined into a single package. The system must also be capable of routing the vials through the system to their appropriate destinations. Sensors deployed at many locations along the system detect the prescription information on the bottles along with RFID tag information to intelligently route and divert the vials to the appropriate conveyor or destination. If the vial is to be combined with other vials (multi-vial order), the vials are sorted and grouped together, preferably towards the end of the dispensing line. The vials are ultimately routed to the final location for packaging and mailing to the consumer.
Automated dispensing lines typically comprise multiple sorting stations and therefore, require functionality to route and divert vials to the appropriate station. The process of routing and diverting vials for sorting and consolidation as well as other reasons can increase vial travel and processing time.
Depending upon how the technology is implemented and deployed within a mail order pharmacy, a substantial number of steps in the fulfillment process may be automated and the need for human intervention minimized. Transporting bottles through the automated dispensing lines in an efficient, timely, accurate, and consistent manner is crucial for filling the high volume of mail order prescriptions.
One technique for processing multi-prescription orders is to group the vials for the order and process them together so that all vials arrive for packaging and shipping as a group. Although “group processing” of vials is a logical approach to processing and packaging vials destined for a single address, it is not an efficient approach. Implementation of “group processing” on an automated dispensing line may require development of sophisticated algorithms for determining a reasonable or adequate route for the vials to travel as well as holding or reordering of other orders to permit the vials for a multi-prescription order to travel on the line as a group. The requirement for holding and reordering of orders increases vial processing time. In addition, processing of the vials in a group may require longer overall travel times for the vials as the vials are routed as a group and required to make unnecessary stops at stations other than the one station that has the appropriate medication for the vial.
A more efficient approach to processing of multi-prescription orders involves processing each vial of medication separately and then sorting and consolidating or regrouping them for packaging and shipping to a single address. Single vial processing is typically more efficient than group vial processing and reduces the overall travel and processing time for each vial. Single vial processing, however, requires the development of methods for tracking the vials during processing and eventually, sorting and consolidating them for packaging and shipping. The sorting/consolidation process typically involves diverting vials of a multi-prescription order to a sorting station where vials are held until all of the vials for an order have arrived. The vials are grouped at the station and then released for packaging.
Processing times for vials on an automated dispensing line are impacted by various routing and diverting techniques that are employed to facilitate single vial processing as well as multi-prescription order processing. There is a need for an improved pharmaceutical vial processing system and method that reduces processing delays attributable to routing and diverting techniques.
Within a typical pharmacy production facility, there are automatic processes for the counting and sorting of pill tablets. For example, orders for vials of particular pills are processed automatically through an integrated system of pill counters and conveyors for transporting the vials to the appropriate outbound conveyor location (e.g., or a sorter location). Typically, these facilities are configured with multiple outbound conveyor lanes to allow for higher vial production volumes.
However, with this type of arrangement, multiple vials assigned to one specific order might be distributed to different take away or outbound conveyors which presents problems with the desired goal of getting all of the vials to reach the same downstream order sorter location. When a vial assigned to an order does not reach the designated order sorter location at approximately the same time as the other vials in the same order, the release of that order will be delayed, slowing order sorter throughput and diminishing overall productivity of the system.
Additional complications can also arise because demand for different drugs constantly changes which can result in high vial numbers occupying an inbound lane. To cope with these high vial numbers, the control system in typical conveyor systems would have to transfer vials across conveyor lanes up to three times or more to keep both the load balanced on the inbound lane and get the vials to their correct order sorter location. These systems were set up as single-file conveyor lanes throughout a majority of the system. Such a system requires complex control systems, sensors, and a large number of diverter devices for diverting vials from one conveyor onto another. The need for such complex control systems having a large number of hardware components decreases the speed of the automated systems, increases the cost of the systems, and increases the probability that the system will malfunction or break down.
Product conveyor and accumulation systems are previously known. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,575,287 and 6,648,124, describe product conveying and accumulation systems for transporting products from an upstream to downstream location. These systems are comprised of multiple conveyors positioned next to each other to move objects from one end of the conveyor to the other end. These systems can also be used with guide rails and object guides to move objects to desired locations or outbound channels. If these outbound channels are full or backed up, the objects are allowed to circulate around the conveyor system until a channel becomes free.
The present invention relates to a new type of automated pharmacy prescription fulfillment system using specifically configured mass flow conveyor tables at predetermined points in the system to route vials to desired destinations within the automated pharmacy system. These mass flow conveyor tables allow vials to move along the conveyors systems in a mass flow rather than a single-file line. These mass flow tables eliminate the need for complex control systems, reduce the need for many diversion mechanisms for diverting vials off single-file conveyor lanes, and reduces the need for many sensors for sensing and balancing vial loads on single-lane conveyors. For example, use of mass flow conveyor tables at certain predetermined points of the automated pharmacy system can be used to accumulate vials and/or to distribute them to outbound conveyor lanes automatically as these outbound lanes become available (or open up). These mass flow conveyor tables can also be configured to provide overflow lanes in case the primary lanes back up.
The present system uses specifically configured mass flow vial conveyor systems at predetermined locations of the automated pharmacy line to fill prescriptions orders in a more effective, faster, and efficient way than traditional conveyor systems using single-file conveyor lines.